New York State Sen. Malcolm A. Smith, who became the first black president of the State Senate, and Councilman Daniel J. Halloran III arrested early Tuesday on charges of trying to fix the New York City mayoral race. The New York Times reports:

Mr. Smith, a 56-year-old Democrat, and Mr. Halloran, a Queens Republican, were among a half-dozen people arrested by F.B.I. agents in the federal corruption case. Others included Republican County leaders in Queens and the Bronx, the mayor of the Rockland County village of Spring Valley, Noramie F. Jasmin, and her deputy, Joseph A. Desmaret, according to a criminal complaint.

Mr. Smith was taken from his Queens home in handcuffs by F.B.I. agents before sunrise and Mr. Halloran, a lawyer, was arrested at about the same time, law enforcement authorities said.

Mr. Smith has said he was considering running for mayor of New York as a Republican, and the charges contend that he made payments to Mr. Halloran in exchange for the councilman’s assistance in setting up meetings with Republican leaders as part of an effort to get on the ballot, the complaint said.

The criminal complaint in the case was brought by federal prosecutors in Manhattan and was unsealed Tuesday morning. Mr. Smith, Mr. Halloran and the others were to appear on Tuesday before a United States magistrate judge in United States District Court in White Plains.